Authentic Ciabatta Recipe Adria, Italy

Light, crusty on the outside, and porous on the inside, ciabatta is an omnipresent Italian bread whose oval, slightly elongated form resembles a slipper. Its preparation takes quite a lot of time and skill, but the result is worth the effort. The first step is to prepare the biga or poolish, a starter dough made from beer yeast, some lukewarm water, and white wheat flour. The original recipe calls for special Uno Natura flour, but recipes for homemade ciabatta suggest using the mixture of Manitoba flour and Italian type 00 flour, which are responsible for a dough with extra elasticity. The starter dough needs to ferment between 12 and 24 hours at a controlled temperature, after which the remaining flour, sugar, salt, and water are added. The dough is folded gently and left to rise repeatedly during the process, as this way it becomes laced with bubbles which are the main characteristic of ciabatta. Ciabatta does not require additional grease or eggs, but water can ... Read more